Sports
Pogba’s Brother To Face Trial In Kidnapping Case
The trial follows a two-year investigation into the alleged extortion and kidnapping of Pogba, a former Manchester United midfielder, in a high-profile case that surfaced in 2022.
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Five individuals close to the World Cup winner are accused of meticulously orchestrating a meeting in the Paris suburbs on March 19, 2022. The meeting ended with Pogba being kidnapped by two unidentified men who demanded €13 million ($14 million), according to Paris prosecutors.
Although Mathias Pogba, a former footballer himself, was not present during the initial incident, prosecutors allege he later pressured his younger brother to hand over the money with the same intent.
All the accused have denied the charges, claiming they were victims of armed robbers and were assaulted after Paul Pogba refused to pay. However, prosecutors have called for the three childhood friends and two former acquaintances who were present that night to be tried for extortion, illegal restraint, and criminal conspiracy.
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Paul Pogba, who currently plays for Juventus and the French national team but is serving a four-year doping ban, filed a complaint with Italian prosecutors alleging he was the target of a multi-million-euro blackmail scheme.
‘Curse on Mbappe’
The 31-year-old told investigators that his blackmailers threatened to discredit him by claiming he asked a “marabout”, or witch doctor, to cast a spell on fellow France star Kylian Mbappe, which Pogba denies.
French prosecutors launched an investigation in September 2022 which was handled jointly by the French police’s anti-gang and central crime units.
During the investigation, Paul Pogba stated that he had “voluntarily” helped members of the group, but then refused to hand seven million euros over to three of them in September 2021. He subsequently kept his distance from the group, he said.
In late September 2022, his brother Mathias — who was born in Guinea — posted a series of videos on social media incriminating Pogba and accusing him of having “abandoned” his family.
The videos came a month after Mathias Pogba had put another video online in French, Italian, English and Spanish promising “great revelations” about his brother.
During the investigation, Mathias said he had been afraid for his safety and that of his family, saying he had been manipulated by the other suspects, and that he hoped he would soon be reconciled with his younger brother.
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